AUSTRALASIA'S NATIONAL DEBT.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XX, Issue 1427, 8 February 1888, Page 5

AUSTRALASIA'S NATIONAL DEBT.

The Australasian colonies collectively owe the respectable sum of £153,209.998. New South Wales heads the list with £41,034,249, New Zealand taking second place with £37.587,776. The last-named Colony, however, has incured much of this liability through the Maori war, and taking over the debts of the provincial governments which formerly existed rhere. Victoria owes £30,114,203, and Queensland £20,820,850. South Aus ralia is indebtel to the amount of £18,340,700 ; Tasmania, £4 026,720; and WWern Australia, £1,286 000. New South Wales has increased her indabtedne'S by £30,000,000 since 1874 N*w Zealand has increased hers £17 000,000 during the same period, while Victoria has only incurred about £13.000 000 in the same time. These £30,000.000 of British money spent in New South Wales does not, of course, cover the money advanced from Etigland to promote pastoral, mining, and other enterprises. Probably thirty million pounds more would not be too high a figure to set down for that.

Nothing is easier (says the "Prin'ors' Register") than to make merry at the expense of the apostles of "Volapuk," oae of the proposed universal languages ; but the fact is that at the International Hygienic Congros just concluded afc Vienna, nothing has been more strikingly exemplified than the pressing need of some such common and universally-known vehicle of thought. Babel itself was not more afflicted with a diversity of tongues than were the 2500 members of (hat congress, assembled for the purpose of hearing each other's views in relation to sanitary science. Ono disenssion between a French and a German professor on the subject of the dangers lnrking in drinking water was finally brought to a stand from the sheer inabil ty of thelearned disputants to make their meaning intelligible either to eaoh other or to their audieuoe> ,